This invention relates generally to bar coding of products and more specifically, to barcodes which include embedded security features allowing entities to be able to identify between legitimately produced barcodes and associated products and counterfeited barcodes and products.
Barcodes have been used in product identification and numerous other uses for many years. One problem with conventional barcodes is that they are not traceable to a specific source of production and therefore do not necessarily provide a means of authentication that the product identified has been legitimately produced. Another problem with conventional barcodes is that they can be reproduced using a variety of methods.
Other attempts at using barcodes to frustrate counterfeiters and provide authentication as to a source have been made. One such example has been to print text near the barcodes with invisible ink or other inks that react to some stimulus such as light at a particular wavelength (e.g., ultraviolet light). However, the result is still a bar code that is easily copied. Electronic devices have also been incorporated into products and/or their packaging. While more effective, electronic devices can be copied, and further, tend to add expense to a product. Another method is to use taggents, which are microscopic size particles or structures that are passive, but reflect electromagnetic energy in a unique and quantifiable manner when read (e.g., illuminated by a radio transceiver). Taggents also add expense and a layer of processing to a product and/or its packaging.
While conventional barcodes may be suitable for certain purposes, they are not as suitable for companies that wish to ensure that the product identified by the barcode has been legitimately produced. Known authentication methods can be unreliable, while others may add an unnecessary expense. Therefore, identifying counterfeited products is difficult and a need for easily identifying counterfeited products without incurring significant costs in so doing exists. This problem is especially pertinent in certain products areas, for example, the pharmaceutical industry, where counterfeited products could be life threatening.